


Let's Face It

by escaliers



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Makeup Is Fun, Multi, Self image is complicated, Team Sweet Flips, liberal understanding of dnd magic, shippy stuff is background, taako is a role model, taako probably shouldn't be a role model, wizards are fashion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22506712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escaliers/pseuds/escaliers
Summary: Taako gives Angus some vitally important lessons in being a magic boy.That or they're just killing time while Killian kills everyone else.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 216





	Let's Face It

Taako was late for training. This was to be expected by this point in his Reclaiming career and Killian hadn’t even blinked when Magnus and Merle arrived at the gym without him. They were all meant to be training every day now and had been for several weeks since the Director had upped their training regimens. There had been a lot of early starts and it was a better use of everyone’s time to let Taako wander in an hour late with a Fantasy Starbucks cup in hand. Sure, elves supposedly didn’t need to sleep, but Taako got grouchy and fairly generous with his fireballs without it. 

Still, Angus made a note of Taako’s absence in his notebook. There was a pattern here that didn’t need the World’s Greatest Detective for people to notice it, of course, everyone expected Taako to be late to things. Sometimes it felt like he did it just to prove a point. But Angus knew that over the past few weeks Taako had several other unexplained absences, usually in the evening, when no one could say for certain where he was. It was a Mystery.

After two hours with no Taako to be seen, Killian was starting to get annoyed. And when Killian got annoyed, other people got nervous. 

“Where the hell is that guy?!”

“I don’t know!” Magnus whined, pinned to the ground by an angry orc. “Merle, do something!” 

“Hey, I’m not his dad, I don’t know where the hell he’s gone,” Merle shrugged, blocking attacks from NO-3113 with his Shield of Faith and failing to notice Carey sneaking up behind him while he thumbed through spell cards. 

“I meant about Killian!”

Angus, watching from the bleachers, had to admit that three against two was a little unfair. Especially when one of those two was Merle, who seemed to consider training a good excuse to experiment with different spells regardless of how useful they were and ignore Magnus’ demands for support. Honestly, how helpful Taako would have been, if he had been present, was debatable. But in theory another ranged attacker would have been useful. 

“You’re a team! Keeping track of each other is part of your damn job!” Killian bent Magnus’ arm further back while he desperately struggled to break free.

“Ow, ow ow-“ Killian must have knocked that strength check out of the park. “Ango, go get Taako out of bed already!”

Angus jumped in his seat, startled at being directly addressed. Normally the condition for letting him watch everyone train together was absolute silence on his part. 

“Me, sir? ... Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Getting Taako to do anything Taako didn’t want to do was never going to be easy for a little boy who couldn’t physically pick him up and carry him across the moon base. Besides, at this point Angus honestly doubted he would find Taako in his room. Two hours was more indicative of a Mysterious Absence than regular sleeping in. 

“Yup! Yup, just- yeah!” Magnus finally made his saving throw and shoved Killian aside, cueing a quick scramble from both of them for her discarded crossbow. “Go get ‘im, kid, you’re the only one he won’t burn a spell slot on!” 

“Tell that jerk if he doesn’t get here in ten minutes I’m going to destroy him, Angus!” Killian roared, rolling over her crossbow protectively and kicking at Magnus as he tried to tug it away. 

“Okay, ma’am, if you say so...” 

“And in the meantime, I’ll cast _Conjure Celestial!_ ”

“ _Why?!_ ” 

“To replace Taako!” 

If Killian said he should go, Angus should probably get going. He supposed he was one of the few people on the base that had access to the Reclaimer’s dorm. Taako had said it was because it was better to know how he was getting in to do his snooping- even though Angus never snooped, only investigated- than for him to break in, but Angus suspected that he was just too lazy to answer the door when Angus came by for magic lessons. Besides, he’d learned his lesson about snooping after sneaking into Merle’s bedroom uninvited. 

It didn’t take Angus long to get to the base of the moon and let himself in. Angus knocked on the door to Taako’s bedroom and received a rather amiable sounding “Fuck off!” in reply, which was a pleasant surprise. A few months ago that would have made Angus hesitate, but now he just let himself inside. 

“It’s only me, sir!”

“Ah, shit.” 

“Wow, okay,” Angus had been half-expecting to find Taako still in bed. Instead he was sat in front of a desk-turned-vanity, meticulously dressed and applying make up. “I’m just here because you’re late for training and Killian was getting... worried.” 

Taako snorted, not looking away from the mirror. “Yeah, I’ll just bet she was.” 

“Sir, training with your team is important for you to perform at your best in the field! That’s what the Director says.”

“This is important for me to perform too, Agnes, don’t worry about it,” Taako said, peering intently at his reflection. 

Angus took the opportunity to examine the wizard as well. Taako seemed even more fancily dressed than he did normally, especially on a day that he wasn’t meant to be leaving the moon base. His black, close-fitting pants had sparkly beads embroidered up the side in a delicate pattern. The purple shirt he was wearing was covered in a flowing layer of black gauze that floated over his arms and hips gracefully. The fabric was cinched in around his waist by a thick belt of black fabric that was tied in a large bow behind him. His hair had been pinned up in some elaborate braid that Angus knew he would never be able to recreate and a long, black ribbon had been loosely entwined through it. Taako was still working on his make up, but Angus could already see some rather dramatic colour choices and shimmering effects. Taako looked beautiful, of course, but it was a darker colour scheme than Angus had ever seen Taako wear. The elf had worn hot pink to Boyland’s Rites of Remembrance ceremony. Some of the amulets hanging around Taako’s neck might have magical properties, but Angus doubted it. The entire outfit was completely impractical for training purposes. 

Meaning Taako had other plans for the day. 

“Sir, why are you spending so much time getting dressed?” This would probably take a while. Angus went to sit the spare chair next to Taako, quickly steadying himself when the cushion covering it gave in under his weight. Apparently there was a large hole in the seat. Angus frowned and shuffled forward to perch on the edge before looking up at Taako again.

“Gotta give the people what they want, Ango,” Taako glared at his reflection wiped off the heavy eyeshadow he’d been wearing with a quick hand gesture. Then he got to work applying something green and shimmery in its place. “Gotta look my best before I face the crowds.” 

“But you always look really beautiful without makeup, sir.” Taako already knew that, but a bit of flattery rarely hurt.

“Oh, yeah, natch,” Taako leaned back from the mirror and tilted his head before nodding in approval at himself. “But it’s fun to do something a little different every now and then. Switch up the look, get a little glam.”

“It doesn’t seem necessary for training with everyone though, sir,” Angus felt the underlying question of ‘so what are you really doing?’ was implied by his tone.

“Of course it’s necessary, Ango. Can’t be a wizard without putting in the effort.” 

“Magnus and Merle are putting in effort, sir. At training.” Well, Magnus was. 

“This is _wizard_ training, Angus,” Taako waved a finger at him while he picked out some shiny bracelets from a drawer with his other hand. “Important part of your magic lessons, write it down.”

Angus rolled his eyes, or at least imagined rolling them. Actually rolling his eyes would be very rude. Taako was a brilliant teacher in Angus’ eyes and he was so thankful for all his lessons, but sometimes they could be really silly. 

“I’m not writing ‘wear makeup’ in my magic day notebook, Taako. That’s for notes from magic day!” 

“And that’s what I’m talking about, Angus, this is all vital for being a baller wizard like yours truly. Suuuper important.” Taako’s jewelry drawer was crammed full of sparkly pieces and he dug through it without seeming to pay Angus too much attention, despite speaking to him.

“... Sir, I don’t think I understand.” This was probably just an attempt to distract Angus, but he couldn’t help being curious. Angus loved to learn anything new and he’d never heard anything like this before. 

“All that awe-inspiring power comes with a price tag, M’dango,” Taako said, looking at his reflection as he held a large hoop earring up to the side of his face and then dropped it back into the drawer. “We get to hang back and throw sick enchantments while the fighters rush in and hit stuff with other stuff, all boring like. But we gotta pull our weight in other ways, y’know? Gotta look damn fine doing it, or it all falls apart.”

Angus frowned at Taako and thought that one over. “You mean... like for morale?”

“Exactly! Gotta put on a show if you want magic powers, little man,” Taako settled finally on a pair of dangling sapphires for his ears. “That’s why I have to look like the ethereal beauty that I am and wow the crowds and Magnus gets to wear cargo shorts in public.”

“That sounds made up, sir.” 

Taako finally glanced at Angus out the corner of his eye, brow raised. “You ever see a wizard without a Look, Agnes?” The capital L was distinct. “A _powerful_ one, I mean, not some joke like Jenkins.”

Angus opened his mouth to answer and then paused. Reflected on the magic users he had met to date. 

“... The Director is really powerful, but she doesn’t dress like you.”

“No, but if you think she isn’t hella committed to that boss lady aesthetic then you’re a shitty detective, little man.” Taako turned in his chair towards Angus and gestured towards himself. “Not everyone can pull off the Taako brand, right? But you’ve gotta have _something_.” Taako stood up and went to dig a pair of boots out from under a pile of discarded clothes. “Like you and your little detective get up.”

Angus hadn’t been expecting that. He looked down in surprise at his own suit and tie and then reached up to make sure his blue cap was still on his head. “... But these are just my clothes, sir. I need to dress professionally for work.”

Taako emerged from the pile victorious and sat on the bed to pull the boots on. “Yeah, but normal ten year olds wear a clean polo shirt and pants when their moms wanna make ‘em look smart, not a friggin’ button down and bow tie.” 

That was probably true. Certainly not a daily basis, at least. “But I’m-“

“- not a normal kid! Exactly!” Taako grinned at Angus, clearly convinced he’d won. “And you’ve gotta show that, right? Otherwise where’s the fun?”

Taako _did_ look pretty impressive all dressed up, Angus had to admit. Magic did tend to be rather flashy in battle so perhaps it did make sense that looking flashy helped the process. And it was true that he always felt like a better detective when he looked the part.

“I guess that makes some sense, sir.” 

“‘Makes a fuck load of sense, Ango.” Taako was peering thoughtfully at Angus now, which usually spelled something interesting. “... You wanna give it a try?”

“Try what, sir?” 

“A bit of that Taako brand magic, pumpkin, what else?” Taako’s grin was sharp now as he sat down opposite Angus again. “Add some sparkle to your look.”

“Oh!” Angus hadn’t even considered that but he suddenly realised he’d never wanted anything more. “Do- do you mean it, sir?”

“Sure, we’ve got some time to kill!” Taako started happily picking out make up items and moving them to the front of the desk.

“You’re supposed to be at training, sir, that’s the whole reason I came looking for you.”

“Angus, I think it’s time we were both honest with each other and admitted that we knew from the beginning that was never going to happen. You came here for some quality Taako time and Killian was a fool for expecting anything different.”

Fair enough. Expectations had never been very high- though they were somehow being exceeded at the same time. Taako had already moved on to roughly cleaning Angus’ face with a damp cloth, which seemed unnecessary. 

“First things first, only apply makeup to a clean face and make sure you wash it off properly before bed.” Taako pinched one of Angus’ cheeks before leaning back again and rummaging around his desk. “You gotta look after your skin, Agnes, you’re stuck with it for a while. Relying on illusions if you fuck it up is a pain in the ass.” 

“Noted, sir! I always practice good hygiene and wash properly every morning and every evening!” 

“You’re already ten times better than Merle, good.” Taako lifted a small tube up so Angus could see it. “Now we’re gonna do your lipstick- this goes first so if you mess it up or hate it we can wipe it off without having to redo the whole face.”

“O-oh,” Angus eyed the lipstick with a small amount of trepidation. He had been thinking they would start with something easier; a little bit of blush or something less obvious. “I’ve never worn lipstick before.” 

“It doesn’t bite. Now, open your mouth and make this shape with your lips- yeah, perfect, here we go,” Taako held Angus in place by the chin and applied a coating to his lips, miming the expression he wanted Angus to make as he went. There was more substance to it than he’d been expecting and Angus was suddenly desperately curious to see his reflection.

Taako was frowning though. He looked at Angus for a moment before shaking his head. “Nope, not a daytime look.” And suddenly he was wiping Angus’ mouth clean with the cloth again.

“Wait-“ Angus winced when the towel got in his mouth. “Taako, I didn’t get to see!”

“Yeah, I spared you that. Okay, let’s try this one.” Before Angus knew it, Taako had a new tube in his hand, this one shinier than the last. He pouted but opened his mouth again after a few seconds of Taako’s unimpressed look. “There you go, pumpkin. Now I want you to rub your lips together for a second and go _mwah!_ ”

“Mwah!” Angus repeated dutifully, which made Taako snicker. Then the towel was back and Angus worried they were starting over again but Taako just dabbed off some of the excess lipstick instead. Angus quickly leaned forward to try to catch his reflection in the mirror, but Taako caught him and pushed him back into his chair again. “Taako! Sir, I just want to see!”

“Not yet, bubeleh, we’re not done.” Taako reached forward and took Angus’ glasses off. Now the elf was more of a sparkly blur. “You can have those back when we’re done.”

“ _Fine,_ ” Angus replied in a sulkier tone than he usually liked to use with any of the Reclaimers when they deigned to spend time with him. Luckily, it just made Taako laugh again.

“Don’t worry, Angus, you just trust ol’ Taako to make you look pretty.” 

“Okay, sir.” Angus could hear Taako rummaging around on his dressing table, but couldn’t see what he was picking out clearly enough to identify it. “... Sir?” 

“We’ll keep it light... None of this’ll match anyway...” Taako was using that tone of voice that sounded like he wasn’t really paying Angus any attention again. “Not like a kid needs it... What now?”

“Is this a goof, sir?” It hadn’t felt like a goof when Taako suggested it, but now Angus was feeling a little more wary. He tried to cover that concern with a jovial tone. “If it’s a goof, you have to tell me or it’s entrapment.”

“What?” It was hard to make out Taako’s expression without his glasses. “No, it’s not a goof. I told you, it’s a magic lesson thing. Close your eyes.”

Angus obeyed, sitting tensely on his chair. “I guess it just seems strange, sir. I don’t know much about this sort of thing.” 

“That’s why it’s a lesson, Ango.” Angus could feel a soft brush against his eyelids and the tickling sensation of powder there. “S’all a kinda magic, really.”

“But you’re not using magic right now, sir.” 

“I’m not casting any spells, yeah. But what’s magic all about, Angus?” 

“Um...” It was nice having something to think about while he sat there. Something to occupy his mind other than the fact that he was essentially letting Taako draw on his face with no way of knowing what he was doing. “Well, I suppose magic is a lot of things, sir! Some people believe-“ 

“Magic is power, Angus,” Taako interrupted. “And power is control. Control of your environment, of people, of yourself... Controlling how you look is a part of that.” 

Angus couldn’t help frowning a little at that, still keeping his eyes shut. “But we’re still not using magic, sir. You could do all this with an illusion spell.” 

“Yeah, but spell slots, my dude.” Taako blew air over Angus’ eyelids and he could feel excess powder falling off. “Anyway, there’s a craft to this shit, sometimes you just gotta do stuff by hand.” 

“I guess that makes sense.”

“‘Course it does, I said it.” A new brush, more powder. Angus really wished he could see what Taako was doing. He needed another distraction.

“... But shouldn’t I just be happy with how I look without changing anything?” He was sure that was a lesson he had heard before. 

“Well, sure, if you _can_ be. But it’s not like it’s any different than wearing your fancy clothes.” The brush went away and Angus felt Taako’s thumb smudging something next to his eyebrow. “But people’ve got all kinds of reasons for wanting to change shit about how they look. Sometimes they just wanna look hot, and that’s normal. Sometimes other people pressure them into crap and that sucks. Sometimes something about your body or your face or whatever just doesn’t feel like you so you change it up until it does.”

Angus couldn’t currently feel anything being applied to his face, so he opened his eyes for a moment to look at Taako. “Is that what you do, sir?”

Taako shrugged. “Eh, sometimes, not really. S’good being able to decide how I’m gonna look every day, though. It’s about control again, you get it? Close your eyes again.” 

Angus quickly shut his eyes. This certainly wasn’t how he expected this morning to go. He kind of wanted to write down everything Taako was saying to commit it to memory, but he had a feeling that would kill the moment. 

“Woke up this morning and thought fuck yeah, my lips are gonna be fucking purple today, and who’s gonna stop me? Fucking no one, that’s who.” Now it really did feel like Taako was drawing on Angus’ face. It felt like a pencil. “S’why transmutation’s the best school of magic.” 

Wait. Angus struggled not to frown and mess up whatever Taako was doing. “Um, I don’t think I understand how you reached that conclusion, sir.”

“Well, to start with, it’s the best ‘cause it’s mine, duh,” Taako tapped his finger against the side of Angus’ head. “But it’s also awesome ‘cause you decide what shit is and it just _is_ that, y’know? People can argue all they want but fuck them, I’m a dinosaur now. Or whatever. S’right there, nothing they say matters.”

“But you can change how something looks with illusion magic, sir. I’ve seen you do it and you taught me that spell, remember?”

“Yeah, but illusions only work so long as everyone else believes in ‘em. They’re not real. Transmuting stuff- no one else can take that from you.”

Angus _really_ wished he could write this down. This was important and it felt like one of the things Taako sometimes said that Angus needed to deliberate over on his own for a while until he reached his own conclusion. He needed to examine the idea, ruminate on it, do some experimentation and research and decide how it applied to him himself. Some of Taako’s best lessons were like that and Angus itched to start picking the problem apart. He was about to ask if they could take a break so he could make a note when-

“Taako? Oh- I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you had company.”

Taako and Angus jumped together and Angus’ eyes snapped open. He still couldn’t see very well but there was a dark figure stood by the far wall of Taako’s bedroom that hadn’t been there a moment before. His hand immediately went to his wand hanging from his neck, but Taako cut him off with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Jeezy creezy, my dude, you made me jump. Gotta put a bell on you. No moving, Ango, I’m not done with you.” 

“I’m sorry, really. I was just- more worried about being late again.” 

Angus kept trying to squint at the figure around Taako’s ministrations, but it was difficult to get any details besides tall and dark with Taako blocking his view. How had he gotten past them without him or Taako noticing? A spell? Angus knew he didn’t recognise the man’s voice, but he had to be a member of the Bureau to get here, didn’t he? Taako didn’t seem worried, but he also clearly hadn’t heard the man enter, even though he was apparently expecting him.

“You’re not late, we just got caught up. Gimme one minute and we can head out, ‘kay?”

“Take your time. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your work.” 

“Hello, sir!” Angus chirped loudly. He had questions. “My name is Angus McDonald, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Hello, Angus,” the man replied, sounding bemused. He didn’t volunteer his own name which was annoying and also rude. “... Ah, are you the apprentice I’ve heard so much about?”

“No, he’s not!” Taako quickly denied, but Angus couldn’t help his grin. Taako had been talking about him! 

“Yes, sir! Are you Taako’s secret boyfriend that he’s been hiding?” 

That had been fairly high on Angus’ list of possible answers to the Mysterious Absences and Taako was _very_ dressed up for this outing that had been planned. 

“Uh, I think- I think I might let Taako answer that one,” the man responded nervously. Angus wished he could see his expression.

“Where’ve you been hearing about secret boyfriends, sweetheart?” Taako asked with a dangerous lilt to his voice and Angus chuckled nervously. 

“Um, detective’s intuition, sir?”

Before Taako could enact punishment, the stranger interjected again. 

“Taako’s told me a lot about you, Angus. He says you’re learning very fast.” 

“He’s lying, don’t listen to him,” Taako insisted, shuffling his chair over to block Angus’ view even further.

“Oh, no.” The stranger sounded amused and his voice took on a teasing tone. “I don’t think I’ve heard him speak of anyone else as highly as he does you.”

“Lies! Lies and slander!” 

Angus was grinning so hard his face hurt and he barely noticed that Taako had stopped applying products to his face and was now picking up something from his desk again. 

“Thank you, sir! Taako hasn’t told me a lot about you, I’m sorry. But I know he put a lot of effort into his appearance today, so I think he’s trying to impress you!” 

“More lies! I’m surrounded by traitors on all fucking sides!” Taako raged dramatically, even as he shoved Angus’ glasses back onto his face. “See if I do either of you any favours ever again.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Angus said, unrepentantly. He adjusted his glasses slightly and looked up at the smiling, handsome face standing behind Taako and watching them with bemusement. As he thought, Angus didn’t recognise the stranger at all. 

“I’m always very impressed by Taako,” the man said smoothly as Taako stood up and finally turned to greet him properly. “He- … Oh.”

The man cut himself off and stared at Taako for a long moment, looking fairly awestruck. Angus took the opportunity to examine him and find some clues regarding his identity. He looked human and had a very handsome face, that was immediately obvious. He was wearing a black suit, very formal for the time of day and surely sweltering in the summer heat. Contrasting against the dark suit was a vibrant, purple tie that matched the delicate embroidery decorating his waistcoat. He wore shiny gold cufflinks that matched the beads decorating his dreadlocks and the golden studs in his ears. He lacked the extravagant makeup adorning Taako’s face, but Angus could spot some eyeliner at play. 

None of this helped Angus identify him, but it looked like Taako wasn’t the only one trying to impress someone today.

“Taako, you look…” The stranger looked momentarily lost for words. “... Very impressive.” 

“Oh, for sure I do,” Taako waved dismissively, but they were both smiling at each other and Taako was shifting slightly on the spot as if he was nervous. “... But check _you_ out, handsome!” Taako stepped forward to run his hands over the man’s waistcoat, grinning at him devilishly. “Did you break out the spring colours just for me?” 

“Well, that depends,” the man smiled back, resting a hand on Taako’s hip. “Do you like them?” 

“Hell yeah, I do!”

Angus looked back and forth between the two men as they stopped to just smile giddily at each other, Taako’s earlier words about power and control echoing through his mind. It really was impressive. But perhaps this was a lesson that was still a little over his head- he was still just a little boy, after all. 

“Oh, you look very nice too, Angus,” the stranger seemed to finally remember that there was a third person in the room. 

“Really?” Angus jumped to his feet and quickly turned towards the mirror. He’d almost forgotten! “Taako was saying-”

For a brief moment, Angus didn’t recognise himself. Which was strange, because it wasn’t as if there was anything all that different about his face. His lips were a soft, coral pink that he wasn’t used to. His familiar glasses did not do much to cover up the different shades of blue eyeshadow around his eyes, vibrant against his dark skin but softly blended at the edges. As he tilted his head from side to side, he could see shimmering gold around his cheekbones and the side of his face when it caught the light. It was so different than what he was used to, he couldn’t tell how it looked.

Taako leaned over Angus’ shoulder and smiled at him through the mirror. “So, pumpkin, what’s the verdict?”

“I’m… I’m not sure.” Angus kept moving his chin to make the glitter shimmer again and again. Glint, glimmer, glint. Glint, glimmer, glint. “I… think I like it?”

Luckily, Taako didn’t seem offended by the lack of enthusiasm. He just nodded and leaned back again. “Take a little time admiring your reflection, see how you feel after you get used to it. If you hate it, just make sure you wash it off properly.” 

“Is Angus joining us for brunch then?” The stranger asked, smiling at them both as if they were doing something incredibly endearing. Perhaps he was still caught up in the effects of Taako’s Look. 

“Absolutely not,” Taako scoffed, grabbing a small satchel from the bed and spinning away from Angus dramatically. “Kid’s got nerd stuff to do and I’m not letting either of you talk to the other anymore.”

“But, sir!” Angus turned away from the mirror to face Taako. “I have questions, sir! How did he get in here? Is he a member of the Bureau?” 

“Nope!” Taako grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him back to the other side of the room. “Time to go, we’re gonna be late!”

“How long have you two been dating?” Angus tried to follow them undeterred, even as the man mimed pulling something aside and opened a clearly magical gate to a city street in midair. “Where did you meet?”

“ _Go!_ ” Taako rushed through the gate and tugged the man sharply behind him when he paused to wave goodbye at Angus. “We’re gone!” 

“What’s his name?!” Angus shouted as the gate shut in his face. He huffed in frustration for a moment. He shouldn’t have let himself be distracted. He’d only gotten one answer and it had only raised more questions. Now the room was silent.

Then another, smaller portal opened up just above Angus. A handsome face looked through. 

“It’s Kravitz. It was very nice to meet you, Angus.” 

Then Kravitz was wrenched back and the portal was gone. 

Angus stared in disbelief for a moment before smiling. 

“It was very nice to meet you too, Mr. Kravitz!” 

Kravitz probably couldn’t hear him. It was still polite to respond. Angus hummed happily to himself and turned to admire his reflection once more. Glimmer, glint, glimmer. The look (or Look) wasn’t very _Angus_ but it was still kind of fun. It was growing on him. Something wasn’t quite right about it, though… 

Angus glanced cautiously at the spot Taako and Kravitz had vanished from, but he was still alone in the room. Taako probably wouldn’t be back for hours. He was safe. Angus grabbed a discarded wizard’s hat from the floor, big and purple and with a blue ribbon wrapped around it, and swapped his blue cap for it. It was a bit big, but with some careful balancing he was able to make it sit on his head without falling over his eyes. Then he pulled the Cloak of the Manta Ray from the back of Taako’s chair and wrapped it around his shoulders, letting it brush against the floor behind him. 

Angus grinned at his reflection in the mirror again, spinning around to make the cloak flare out behind him, wand outstretched in one hand as he posed dramatically.  
“Watch out, criminals! Angus McDonald, the World’s Greatest Magical Detective, is on the case!” Angus cast Prestidigitation with a flick of his wand, sending off a shower of sparks. “You can’t hide the truth from him with your illusions- he knows _real_ magic!” 

Now _that_ was a Wizard Look. Angus admired himself with pride. Maybe updating his style wasn’t such a bad idea after all. He could afford to try some different things out, at least. Taako would probably want the cloak back, but maybe Angus could charm him into letting him keep the hat. 

In the meantime, he should probably get back to the others before someone started to worry about him. He’d spent more time with Taako than he had expected. 

Angus returned to the training area just in time to see NO-3113 pick Merle up and throw him across the room and into Magnus. Man and dwarf fell to the ground and moaned in pain. 

“I’m… okay…” Magnus called feebly, laying flat on his back. 

“Walk it off, Magnus!” 

“Thanks, Carey.” 

“Angus!” Killian yelled at him when she saw him. “Where’s Taako?” 

“I don’t know, ma’am!” Technically true. Angus smiled brightly up at the orc as she approached. “He’s not in his room.” 

Killian loomed over Angus and stared down at him. Angus adjusted the brim of his hat to look up at her with a polite expression. He was aware that the cloak around his shoulders was immediately recognisable and the make up on his face was very obvious under the bright lights of the gym. Killian continued to stare impassively in silence for a long moment. Then she threw her hands in the air in frustration.

“Damn it, Taako, you can’t just disguise Angus as you and think we won’t notice!” 

That made Angus laugh incredulously. “It’s not a disguise, ma’am! I’m not pretending to be Taako!” 

“I don’t know what I was expecting,” Killian bemoaned, already walking away. “Sending the asshole’s number one fan to get him.” 

Well, that didn’t sound accurate to Angus. He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Actually, I think I just met Taako’s number one fan.” 

“Hah! Nice one, Ango!” Magnus laughed, heading over with the other three to see what the fuss was about. Angus didn’t bother to correct his interpretation. “Hey, good look on you though.” 

“You look awfully cute, Angus!” NO-3113 exclaimed, Carey nodding eagerly next to her. Cute wasn’t really what Angus was going for, but he had long since accepted that he was going to have to embrace it for at least a few more years. 

“Thank you, Miss Noelle!” Angus spun around, just to make the cloak flare out again. “It’s a wizarding look! For wizarding in!”

“Wanna take Taako’s spot on the team and help us out a little then, kid?” Merle asked, picking his wrench up off the floor and eyeing the ladies in the room warily. 

“Ooh, yeah!” Magnus agreed. “Upgrade from Taako to Taquito! We gotta get some magic in here.”

“Um…” Angus looked Magnus and Merle up and down, taking in their bruises. Then he looked over at Killian, Carey and NO-3113, all intact and grinning dangerously. Then he looked back at the cheerful Magnus.

“What do ya say, Ango?” Magnus smiled with all the warm, rustic hospitality at his disposal and Angus could feel himself starting to waver. Then a trickle of blood ran down the side of Magnus’ face. 

“Actually, sirs!” Angus quickly backtracked away, careful not to trip over the cloak. “I think that might have to wait for some other time.” 

He hurried to the door and only briefly looked back before making his escape.

“Ango’s good out here!”

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing fanfiction in several years now! TAZ brings me back, of course. 
> 
> Extra scene, earlier that morning, in the Astral Plane:
> 
> Kravitz, dating for the first time in literal centuries: Please, my Queen, I need your advice! How do you impress a boy?!!  
> The Raven Queen, an actual bird: Uh, bright colours? And... shiny things?  
> Kravitz: Shiny things?  
> The Raven Queen, with more confidence: Shiny things.


End file.
